:00:08. > :00:11.Good afternoon and welcome to BBC London News.
:00:12. > :00:18.The immigration system isn't fit for purpose -
:00:19. > :00:20.and staff don't even know their own rules.
:00:21. > :00:24.That's the damning verdict by the former Deputy Prime Minister,
:00:25. > :00:27.after an eminent professor who'd been living here for 40 years
:00:28. > :00:29.was wrongly denied British citizenship on a technicality.
:00:30. > :00:31.There are now calls to overhaul the system.
:00:32. > :00:37.Professor Emmy Van Deurzen is many things to many people,
:00:38. > :00:42.leading academic, renowned psychoanalyst, local
:00:43. > :00:46.businesswoman and employer to nearly 70 members of staff
:00:47. > :00:54.I have worked for 40 years, paid taxes for 40 years,
:00:55. > :00:57.I have been part of British society fully and completely.
:00:58. > :01:01.When she applied for British citizenship she was rejected.
:01:02. > :01:06.She didn't have a residency permit even though she had already granted
:01:07. > :01:11.She spent months challenging that decision.
:01:12. > :01:13.She has now finally been granted citizenship.
:01:14. > :01:17.For her it shows how unfair and complicated the system is.
:01:18. > :01:19.It is as if that trust you have built up between yourself
:01:20. > :01:22.and the country that you have adopted and that you think has
:01:23. > :01:26.adopted you suddenly rejects you and doesn't want to acknowledge
:01:27. > :01:32.that contribution any more, that's incredibly painful.
:01:33. > :01:37.Latest figures show record numbers of Europeans have been applying,
:01:38. > :01:41.the single biggest increase in a decade.
:01:42. > :01:43.Before last June's referendum, that's the third quarter of 2015
:01:44. > :01:48.In the first quarter afterwards, that had doubled
:01:49. > :01:52.There is no suggestion that the rules have been made
:01:53. > :02:00.But for many, including immigration lawyers,
:02:01. > :02:02.the system unknowingly discriminates against EU nationals who have never
:02:03. > :02:04.needed to apply before, particularly the requirement
:02:05. > :02:07.to document visits abroad during your stay in the UK.
:02:08. > :02:10.As an EU national you have freedom of movement so your passport
:02:11. > :02:15.So a lot of people might face problems listing every single
:02:16. > :02:18.absence from the UK for the last five years if they
:02:19. > :02:24.Now they're coming up against the Home Office that states
:02:25. > :02:26.unless you can prove it we certainly don't give you the
:02:27. > :02:31.We want hard and fast evidence in terms of pay slips, etc,
:02:32. > :02:38.If you don't have that, well, then we will wave you goodbye.
:02:39. > :02:41.That is the exact opposite of what the Government wants,
:02:42. > :02:45.for Emmy and other Europeans living here the Prime Minister has
:02:46. > :02:48.repeatedly said she expects to guarantee their right to live
:02:49. > :02:52.It's of little comfort for many who don't want to rely
:02:53. > :02:58.The Mayor has given his backing to a new report that says he should
:02:59. > :03:02.have more control over taxes - which could include a levy
:03:03. > :03:07.Sadiq Khan wants more powers devolved to London
:03:08. > :03:12.There are also calls for the capital to have a share of taxes
:03:13. > :03:13.on cars, sugary drinks and air passenger duty.
:03:14. > :03:18.The Mayor's been speaking to our political correspondent Karl Mercer.
:03:19. > :03:21.If London does well the country benefits.
:03:22. > :03:26.If you want, by the way you need London to do well,
:03:27. > :03:28.you need to seriously consider giving us more control over our
:03:29. > :03:32.Business leaders who are experts say we need it.
:03:33. > :03:39.Is there a danger that it could put tourists off,
:03:40. > :03:41.the British hospitality association are already saying this
:03:42. > :03:47.This is a report prepared by experts which is a consultation document,
:03:48. > :03:49.let's talk about it, the evidence is this.
:03:50. > :03:52.London is the number one city of choice for tourists
:03:53. > :03:55.Record numbers came to London last year.
:03:56. > :04:02.It wasn't just because of the weak pound, it's because of our culture,
:04:03. > :04:07.what we have to offer, our museums, our galleries,
:04:08. > :04:09.live gigs, restaurants, we want that to carry on.
:04:10. > :04:12.But the fact is that other cities around the world,
:04:13. > :04:14.great cities, all have a levy, whenever you go to a city
:04:15. > :04:18.We are in a discussion with the hotels about whether it's
:04:19. > :04:21.a good idea, bearing in mind this will ensure we are not complacent
:04:22. > :04:24.and ensure we stay number one in that league table.
:04:25. > :04:30.Nobody wants to stop tourists coming here.
:04:31. > :04:31.Nobody wants to have gratuitous tax-raising powers.
:04:32. > :04:35.I have read the report in detail and it talks, for example,
:04:36. > :04:42.about a Berlin tax of 5% per room, even on the average budget
:04:43. > :04:46.hotel room costing ?68, that adds an extra ?3.40 and that's
:04:47. > :04:48.the sort of price where I think you might get
:04:49. > :04:51.some tourists saying, oh, no, they're having a laugh.
:04:52. > :05:01.We don't want to pay another heavy as well. That was Simon Calder
:05:02. > :05:08.commenting on those proposals for a London tourist tax.
:05:09. > :05:11.The police watchdog is investigating claims that a police officer told a
:05:12. > :05:13.DJ driving in central London that black people dressed in
:05:14. > :05:20.gangster-style clothing are more likely to be stopped. A video of the
:05:21. > :05:21.incident was posted on online three weeks ago leading to an apology from
:05:22. > :05:24.The Met. There's no Woolwich Ferry today -
:05:25. > :05:26.as staff have gone on strike. Employees are planning to walk out
:05:27. > :05:29.every Friday - till mid-April - over what the Unite union calls
:05:30. > :05:32."a culture of bullying Briggs Marine Contractors Limited -
:05:33. > :05:35.who run the service - says it takes health,
:05:36. > :05:37.safety and welfare Sport now - and one of the stand-out
:05:38. > :05:45.ties in this weekend's FA Cup fourth round sees Premier League leaders
:05:46. > :05:48.Chelsea take on near neighbours The Championship side
:05:49. > :05:54.sold out their tickets With excitement building among Bees
:05:55. > :05:58.fans, Emma Jones has been I'm here at Griffin Park which,
:05:59. > :06:02.four years ago was almost the scene of a famous FA Cup victory for then
:06:03. > :06:05.League 1 Brentford against their On the day, Mark Devlin,
:06:06. > :06:13.the chief executive, it was a ?50 million striker that
:06:14. > :06:16.made the difference. Are you worried that this weekend,
:06:17. > :06:19.it could be a similar story? Who knows which team
:06:20. > :06:22.they will put out tomorrow? They are obviously a very talented
:06:23. > :06:26.team, Chelsea, and we were unlucky We were sadly beaten in the replay,
:06:27. > :06:33.but I think we will be A lot has changed for this club
:06:34. > :06:36.since then, including the promotion, but that
:06:37. > :06:40.financial gap between you and your new neighbours
:06:41. > :06:43.remains the same, doesn't it? There is a chasm between us
:06:44. > :06:49.financially but that is just finance, and there's 11
:06:50. > :06:53.against 11 tomorrow. I think we've got a very
:06:54. > :06:55.talented playing squad, tomorrow, and I am sure they will be
:06:56. > :07:00.inspired by their surroundings, then I expect a really, really good
:07:01. > :07:04.game at Chelsea tomorrow. The previous game was part
:07:05. > :07:07.of a springboard for where we are now and what we're looking
:07:08. > :07:09.forward to is playing Chelsea on a regular basis
:07:10. > :07:12.in the Premier League As you say, you would want
:07:13. > :07:15.to travel to Stamford Bridge Yeah, we want to enjoy it
:07:16. > :07:19.tomorrow, we are building, the club is growing rapidly
:07:20. > :07:22.on and off the field. We have ambitions to play
:07:23. > :07:25.in the Premier League and to grow our fan base
:07:26. > :07:28.and to move into a new stadium. So lots of exciting things
:07:29. > :07:31.going on tomorrow, it's going to be a great occasion but it is only part
:07:32. > :07:35.of what we plan for the future. As Mark was saying,
:07:36. > :07:38.there are lots of similarities between the two clubs, including
:07:39. > :07:40.hopes to build new grounds, but tomorrow is about the FA Cup
:07:41. > :07:46.and it's about revenge. Time for the weather now
:07:47. > :07:59.with Elizabeth Rizzini. Good afternoon. Yesterday many
:08:00. > :08:03.places remained subzero all day. Today happily it's not as cold. Some
:08:04. > :08:08.milder air, even brightness, but again we did start off on a frosty
:08:09. > :08:11.note with even icy surfaces to the east, in particular. The rest of
:08:12. > :08:15.this afternoon most of us will stay dry, variable amounts of cloud,
:08:16. > :08:18.brightness edging into south-earn areas again. A few outbreaks of rain
:08:19. > :08:22.to the west. Top temperatures up to six or seven.
:08:23. > :08:25.Through this evening's rush hour again most of us will stay dry. But
:08:26. > :08:29.then overnight tonight we have further outbreaks of mostly light
:08:30. > :08:32.and patchy rain spreading in from the south-west and heading our way
:08:33. > :08:37.into tomorrow morning. Overnight lows of a much milder six or seven,
:08:38. > :08:39.so frost-free through the weekend. It is going to feel milder and
:08:40. > :08:44.temperatures back into double figures. There will be some rain
:08:45. > :08:46.around at times but also a bit of brightness, most notably on Saturday
:08:47. > :08:50.afternoon. Through Saturday morning we have further outbreaks of rain on
:08:51. > :08:55.and off, most tending to be light and patchy. Turning dryer into the
:08:56. > :08:58.afternoon with a bit of late sunshine for western home Counties,
:08:59. > :09:02.watch out for a few showers into the evening.
:09:03. > :09:07.Temperatures will probably hit double figures on Sunday but if you
:09:08. > :09:09.are heading out for Chinese new year celebrations in central London do
:09:10. > :09:13.prepare for rainfall through the afternoon.
:09:14. > :09:15.That's all from us on the lunchtime team,
:09:16. > :09:20.do tune in later though for our 6.30pm programme.
:09:21. > :09:22.Riz Lateef will be here and there's plenty more news, travel
:09:23. > :09:25.and weather on our website at the usual address.
:09:26. > :10:02.The FA Cup fourth round, next weekend, across the BBC.
:10:03. > :10:05.It's incredible, the changes that have occurred in just 50 years.
:10:06. > :10:07.Oh, my goodness me, I don't like the look of that.
:10:08. > :10:09.The Robshaws are going back in time again...
:10:10. > :10:14.Feel a little bit overwhelmed at the moment.
:10:15. > :10:16.How people did this every day, I don't know.
:10:17. > :10:21.Calf's head. Leave the teeth out of it, won't you?
:10:22. > :10:33.It's incredible, the changes that have occurred in just 50 years.
:10:34. > :10:37.What have you been up to? Something grubby?